Workers of the world, unite!
{{short description|Rallying cry from The Communist Manifesto}}
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File:Coat of arms of the Soviet Union 1.svg had the slogan emblazoned on the ribbons in 15 languages spoken in the republics.]]
File:Karl Marx Grave.jpg at Highgate Cemetery bearing the slogan "Workers of All Lands Unite"]]
File:Proletаrier aller Länder, vereinigt euch!" in Chemnitz... 7d origWI.jpg, Germany]]
The political slogan "Workers of the world, unite!" is one of the rallying cries from The Communist Manifesto (1848){{cite book |author1=Gabrijela Kišiček |author2=Igor Ž. Žagar |title=What Do We Know About the World?: Rhetorical and Argumentative Perspectives |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RlKaBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA471 |date=3 October 2013 |publisher=University of Windsor |isbn=978-0-920233-70-2 |page=471 |quote=One of the most famous rallying cries of communism Workers of the world, unite! }}{{cite book |author=Simon Levis Sullam |title=Giuseppe Mazzini and the Origins of Fascism |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=YGbeCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT91 |date=21 October 2015 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US |isbn=978-1-137-51459-2 |page=91 |quote=only a few years later, would give the famous rallying cry Workers of t...}}{{cite book|author=Edward R. Kantowicz|title=The Rage of Nations |url = https://archive.org/details/rageofnations0000kant |url-access=registration|year=1999 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-4455-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/rageofnations0000kant/page/21 21] |quote=titled The Communist Manifesto, which contained the famous rallying cry: "Workers of the w...}}{{cite book |author=Ronald Niezen |title = A World Beyond Difference: Cultural Identity in the Age of Globalization |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=m8W6xPPdYLcC&pg=PA129 |date=15 April 2008 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-4051-3710-2 |page=129 |quote=The famous rallying cry from The Communist Manifesto, “workers of the world unite!” was meant only to hasten the [...] }} by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels ({{langx|de|Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!}}, literally {{Gloss|Proletarians of all countries, unite!}},{{cite web |title = Translator's note to the Communist Manifesto |url = http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch04.htm |website=Marxists.org |publisher=Marxist Internet Archive |access-date=14 February 2015 }} but soon popularised in English as "Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!").{{NoteTag|The final paragraph of The Communist Manifesto was translated by Samuel Moore as follows: "The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. WORKING MEN OF ALL COUNTRIES, UNITE!". This translation is the authorized translation by Marx and Engels and is the most commonly used version in English.{{cite book |last1=Marx|first1=Karl|last2=Engels|first2=Friedrich|editor1-last=Jones|editor1-first=Gareth Stedman |title=The Communist Manifesto |url=https://archive.org/details/communistmanifes00marx_5|url-access=registration|year=2002|publisher=Penguin|location=London |isbn = 978-0-140-44757-6 |edition=New }}}}
A variation of this phrase ("Workers of all lands, unite") is also inscribed on Marx's tombstone.{{cite book | last = Wheen | first = Francis | author-link = Francis Wheen | title = Karl Marx: A Life |location = New York | publisher = Norton |year = 2002 | chapter = Introduction }} The essence of the slogan is that members of the working classes throughout the world should cooperate to defeat capitalism and achieve victory in the class conflict.{{Cite book |last=Ayres |first=Robert U. |author-link=Robert Ayres (scientist) |title=The history and future of economics |date=2023 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-031-26208-1 |location=Cham}}
Overview
File:Chelovek s ruzhyom-Tenin Shtraukh Gelovani.jpg, the phrase (in pre-reform Russian orthography) is depicted on a banner in the background.]]
File:Carnet 2.png from the year 1980. The slogan "Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă!" is written in golden letters on the top of the Pass' cover.]]
Five years before The Communist Manifesto, this phrase appeared in the 1843 book The Workers' Union by Flora Tristan.{{cite journal |title=Flora Tristan: Forgotten Feminist and Socialist |author=Marie M. Collins and Sylvie Weil-Sayre |journal=Nineteenth-Century French Studies |volume=1 |issue=4 |year=1973 |pages=229–234 |jstor=23535978}}
The International Workingmen's Association, described by Engels as "the first international movement of the working class" was persuaded by Engels to change its motto from the League of the Just's "all men are brothers" to "working men of all countries, unite!".Lucia Pradella in 'The Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics.' Edited by Ben fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho, 2012, p.178. It reflected Marx's and Engels' view of proletarian internationalism.
The phrase has overlapping meanings: first, that workers should unite in unions to better push for their demands such as workplace pay and conditions;Wiktionary, entry for "Workers of the World"{{Better source needed|date=October 2022}} secondly, that workers should see beyond their various craft unions and unite against the capitalist system;{{cite web |first1=Karl |last1=Marx |author-link1=Karl Marx |first2=Friedrich |last2=Engels |author-link2=Friedrich Engels |date= 1848 |url=https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ |title=Manifesto of the Communist Party |translator-first1=Samuel |translator-last1=Moore |others=Zodiac; Baggins, Brian; Blunden, Andy }} and thirdly, workers of different countries have more in common with each other than workers and employers of the same country.
The phrase was used by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) in their publications and songs{{cite journal |first1=Joseph |last1=Grim Feinberg |title=The Gifts of the IWW |journal =Against the Current |issue=117 |date=July–August 2005 |url=http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/51 |publisher=Solidarity |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326141529/http://www.solidarity-us.org/node/51 |archive-date= 2018-03-26}}Melvyn Dubofsky, We Shall Be All, Quadrangle Books, 1969. and was a mainstay on banners in May Day demonstrations. The IWW used it when opposing World War I in both the United States and Australia.Mick Armstrong, "The Industrial Workers of the World," Socialist Alternative, June 2005. [https://sa.org.au/node/2491]
The slogan was the Soviet Union's state motto (Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!; Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes'!) and it appeared in the State Emblem of the Soviet Union. It also appeared on 1919 Russian SFSR banknotes (in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Russian),{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Joel|title=RUSSIAN COINS AND CURRENCY|url=https://www.joelscoins.com/russia.htm|website=Interesting World Coins}} on Soviet ruble coins from 1921 to 1934{{Cite web|title=Communist States: Russia and China|url=http://www.coinlands.com/communist-states.html|access-date=18 April 2021|website=www.coinlands.com}} and was the slogan of Soviet newspaper Pravda.{{Cite news|last=Heritage|first=Timothy|date=4 May 2012|title=Russia's Pravda hits 100, still urging workers to unite|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-pravda-idUKL5E8G41L820120504|access-date=18 April 2021}}
Some socialist and communist parties continue using it.{{cite book|last1=Thurston|first1=Robert W.|last2=Bonwetsch|first2=Bernd|title=The People's War: Responses to World War II in the Soviet Union|date=2000|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=9780252026003|edition=illustrated|url=https://archive.org/details/peopleswarrespon00robe|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/peopleswarrespon00robe/page/64 64]|access-date=19 March 2015}}{{Failed verification|date=November 2022}}
Variations
In the first Swedish translation of The Communist Manifesto, published in 1848, the translator Pehr Götrek substituted the slogan with Folkets röst, Guds röst! (i.e. Vox populi, vox Dei, or "The Voice of the People, the Voice of God"). However, later translations have included the original slogan.{{cite book |last1=Götrek |first1=Pehr |title=Kommunismens röst : förklaring af det kommunistiska partiet, offentliggjord i februari 1848 |publisher=Pogo Press |isbn=91-7386-018-2|year=1848}}. [http://libris.kb.se/bib/7639421 libris 7639421]. reprint of [http://libris.kb.se/bib/2683080 libris 2683080].
The guiding motto of the 2nd Comintern congress in 1920, under Lenin's directive, was "Workers and oppressed peoples of all countries, unite!".{{cite journal |last1=Pateman |first1=Joe |title=V. I. Lenin on the 'Black Question' |journal=Critique |date=2 January 2020 |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=77–93 |doi=10.1080/03017605.2019.1706786 |s2cid=213348492 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03017605.2019.1706786 |access-date=9 November 2020 |issn=0301-7605}} This denoted the anti-colonialist agenda of the Comintern, and was seen as an attempt to unite racially-subjugated black people and the global proletariat in anti-imperialist struggle.
In other languages
{{unsourced|1=section|date=October 2022}}
This slogan was used by several socialist states and communist parties as their official motto.
= Motto of the Soviet Union =
In each Soviet republic, the same motto was used in the local language.
| class="wikitable collapsible"
! Language ! Motto ! Transliteration ! Used by |
| Russian
| {{lang|ru|Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!}} | Proletarii vsekh stran, soyedinyaytes'! (BGN/PCGN) |
| Ukrainian
| {{lang|uk|Пролетарі всіх країн, єднайтеся!}} | Proletarii vsikh krayin, yednaytesya! (BGN/PCGN) |
| Byelorussian
| {{lang|be|Пралетарыі ўсіх краін, яднайцеся!}} | Pralyetarye, wsikh krain, yadnaytsesya! (BGN/PCGN) |
| Uzbek
| {{lang|uz|Бутун дунё пролетарлари, бирлашингиз!}} | Butun dunyo proletarlari, birlashingiz!/Butun dunyo proletarlari, birlaşingiz! |
| Kazakh
| {{lang|kk|Барлық елдердің пролетарлары, бірігіңдер!}} | Barlıq yelderdiñ proletarları, birigiñder! |
| Georgian
| {{lang|ka|პროლეტარებო ყველა ქვეყნისა, შეერთდით!}} | Proletarebo qvela kveqnisa, šeertdit! |
| Azerbaijani
| {{lang|az|Бүтүн өлкәләрин пролетарлары, бирләшин!|italic=no}} | Bütün ölkələrin proletarları, birləşin! |
| Lithuanian
| {{lang|lt|Visų šalių proletarai, vienykitės!}} | |
| Romanian (Moldovan Cyrillic)
| {{lang|ro|Пролетарь дин тоате цэриле, уници-вэ!}} | Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă! |
| Latvian
| {{lang|lv|Visu zemju proletārieši, savienojieties!}} | |
| Kyrghz
| {{lang|ky|Бардык өлкөлордүн пролетарлары, бириккиле!}} | Bardıq ölkölordün proletarları, birikkile! |
| Tajik
| {{lang|tg|Пролетарҳои ҳамаи мамлакатҳо, як шавед!}} | Proletarhoi hamai mamlakatho, yak šaved! |
| Armenian
| {{lang|hy|Պրոլետարներ բոլոր երկրների, միացե՛ք}} | Proletarner bolor yerkrneri, miac’ek’! |
| Turkmen
| {{lang|tk|Әхли юртларың пролетарлары, бирлешиң!}} | Ähli ýurtlaryň proletarlary, birleşiň!/Ähli yurtlarıñ proletarları, birleşiñ! |
| Estonian
| {{lang|et|Kõigi maade proletaarlased, ühinege!}} | |
| colspan=4| |
| Abkhaz
| {{lang|ab|Атәылаӄуа зегьы рпролетарцәа, шәҽеидышәкыл!}} | Atwylaqwa zeğy rproletarcwa, šwč’eidyšwkyl! |
| Avar
| {{lang|av|Киналго улкабазул пролетарал, цолъе нуж!}} | Kinalgo ulkabazul proletaral, col’e nuž! |
| Bashkir
| {{lang|ba|Бөтә илдәрҙең пролетарийҙәре, берләшегеҙ!}} | Böte ilderceń proletariycäre, berläşegec! |
| Buryat
| {{lang|bxr|Бүхы оронуудай пролетаринар, нэгэдэгты!}} | Bühy oronuudaj proletarinar, negedegty! |
| Chechen
| {{lang|ce|Массо а мехкийн пролетареш, цхьанакхета!}} | Masso a mexkiyn proletareş, cx’anakxeta! |
| Chuvash
| {{lang|cv|Пӗтӗм тӗнчери пролетарисем, пӗрлешӗр!}} | Pétém ténçeri proletarisem, pérleşér! |
| Crimean Tatar
| {{lang|crh|Бютюн мемлекетлерининъ пролетарлары, бирлешинъиз!}} | Bütün memleketleriniñ proletarları, birleşiñiz! |
| Erzya
| {{lang|myv|Весе масторонь пролетарийть, вейсэндяводо!}} | Vese mastoronj proletarijtj, vejsendjavodo! |
| Finnish
| {{lang|fi|Kaikkien maiden proletaarit, liittykää yhteen!}} | |
| Ingush
| {{lang|inh|Масса а мехкашкара пролетареш вӀашагӀкхета!}} | Massa a mexkaškara proletareš vwašağxeta! |
| Kabardian
| {{lang|kbd|Хэгъэгу пстэухэм япролетариехэр, зы шъухъу!}} | Xeğegu psteuxem japroletariěxer, zy š’uhu! |
| Kalmyk
| {{lang|xal|Цуг-орн нутгудын пролетармуд, негдцхәтн!}} | Cug-orn nutgudyn proletarmud, negdchâtn! |
| Karachay-Balkar
| {{lang|kbd|Бютеу дунияны пролетарлары, бирлешигиз!}} | Büteu duniyanı proletarları, birleşigiz! |
| Karakalpak
| {{lang|kaa|Барлык еллердин пролетарлары, бирлесиниз!}} | Barlık ellerdin proletarları, birlesiniz! |
| Karelian
| {{lang|krl|Kaikkien maijen proletaariet, yhtykkyä!}} | | Karelian ASSR (until 1940) |
| Komi
| {{lang|kv|Став мувывса пролетарийяс, oтувтчӧй!}} | Stav muvyvsa proletarijjas, otuvtčöj! |
| Mari
| {{lang|chm|Чыла элласе пролетарий-влак, ушныза!}} | Çyla ellase proletarij-vlak, uşnyza! |
| Moksha
| {{lang|mdf|Сембе масторонь пролетариятие, пуромода марс!}} | Sembe mastoronj proletarijatije, puromoda mars! |
| Ossetian
| {{lang|os|Ӕппӕт бӕстӕты пролетартӕ баиу ут!}} | Áppát bástáty proletartá baiu ut! |
| Sakha
| {{lang|sah|Бары дойдулар пролетарийдара, холбоһуҥ!}} | Barı doydular proletariydara, xolbohuň! |
| Tat
| Пролетарьой гьеме билеетгьо, ек бошти! | Proletar'oy heme bileetho, ek boşti! |
| Tatar
| {{lang|tt|Барлык илләрнең пролетарийлары, берләшегез!}} | Barlıq illärneñ proletariyları, berläşegez! |
| Tuvan
| {{lang|tyv|Бүгү делегейниң пролетарлары, каттыжыңар!}} | Bügü delegeyniñ proletarları, kattıjıñar! |
| Udmurt
| {{lang|udm|Вань странаосысь пролетарийёс, огазеяське!}} | Vań stranaosyś proletarijjos, ogazejaśke! |
= Motto of other countries =
| class="wikitable collapsible"
! Language ! Motto ! Transliteration ! Used by |
| Albanian
| {{lang|sq|Proletarë të të gjitha vendeve, bashkohuni!}} | | Albania |
| Bulgarian
| {{lang|bg|Пролетарии от всички страни съединявайте се!}} | Proletárii ot vsíchki straní, sǎеdinyávaite se! | Bulgaria |
| Chinese
| {{lang|zh|全世界無産階級和被壓迫的民族聯合起來！}}{{NoteTag|This is not the usual modern Chinese translation of the slogan. The most common one nowadays is 全世界無産者，聯合起來！ (Quánshìjiè wúchǎnzhě, liánhé qǐlái!)}} | Quánshìjiè wúchǎnjiējí hé bèi yāpò de mínzú liánhé qǐlai! |
| Czech
| {{lang|cs|Proletáři všech zemí, spojte se!}} | |
| Dari
| {{lang|prs|کارگران جهان متحد شوید!}} | Kârgarân-e jahân mottahed šavid! |
| French
| {{lang|fr|Prolétaires de tous les pays, unissez-vous !}} | |
| German
| {{lang|de|Proletarier aller Länder, vereinigt Euch!}} | |
| Hungarian
| {{lang|hu|Világ proletárjai, egyesüljetek!}} | |
| Korean
|{{Lang|ko|전세계로동자들은 단결하라!}} |Chŏnsegyelodongchadŭrŭn tangyŏl'ala! |
| Malagasy
| {{lang|mg|Mpiasa eran'izao tontolo izao, mampiray!}} | |
| Mongolian
| {{lang|mn|Орон бүрийн пролетари нар нэгдэгтүн!}} | Oron büriin proletari nar negdegtün! | Mongolia |
| Polish
| {{lang|pl|Proletariusze wszystkich krajów, łączcie się!}} | |
| Romanian
| {{lang|ro|Proletari din toate țările, uniți-vă!}} | | Romania |
| Slovak
| {{lang|sk|Proletári všetkých krajín, spojte sa!}} | | Czechoslovakia, |
| Tuvan
| {{lang|tyv|Бүгү телегейниң пролетарлары болгаш дарлаткан араттары каттыжыңар!}} | Pygy delegejniꞑ вroledarlarь polgaş tarladkan araddarь kaddьƶьꞑar! |
== Motto of communist parties ==
The English phrase and its variants (the variant "All power to the workers" is used by some parties such as the Communist Party of Australia) are used by communist parties in the English-speaking world. The list below does not include the mottos of communist parties of the above countries or in languages listed above.
| class="wikitable collapsible"
! Language ! Motto ! Transliteration ! Used by ! Active in |
| Arabic
| {{lang|ar|يَا عُمَّالَ الْعَالَمِ وَيَا شُعُوبَهُ الْمُضْطَهَدَة، اِتَّحِدُواْ!}} | Ya ‘ummāla l-‘ālami wa yā shu‘ūbahu l-muṭṭahada, ittaḥidū! | Jordan |
| Bengali
| {{lang|bn|দুনিয়ার মজদুর, এক হও!}} | Duniẏār môjdur, ēk hôō! |
| Greek
| {{lang|el|Προλετάριοι όλων των χωρών, ενωθείτε!}} | Proletárioi ólon ton chorón, enothíte! | Greece |
| Indonesian
| {{lang|id|Para buruh seluruh dunia, bersatulah!}} | |
| Macedonian
| {{lang|mk|Пролетери од сите земји, обединете се!}} | Proleteri od site zemji, obedinete se! |
| Malay
| {{lang|ms|Kaum buruh semua negeri, bersatulah!}} | | Malaysia |
| Serbo-Croatian
| {{lang|sh-Cyrl|Пролетери свих земаља уједините се!}} | {{lang|sh-Latn|Proleteri svih zemalja, ujedinite se!}} | League of Communists of Yugoslavia | Yugoslavia |
| Slovene
| {{lang|sl|Proletarci vseh dežel, združite se!}} | | League of Communists of Slovenia | Yugoslavia |
| Tagalog
| {{lang|tl|Manggagawa ng lahat ng bansa, magkaisa!}} | |
| Turkish
| {{lang|tr|Bütün ülkelerin işçileri ve ezilen halklar, birleşin!}}{{efn|Literally "Workers of all countries and oppressed people, unite!}} | | Turkey |
See also
Notes
{{NoteFoot}}
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Workers of the world, unite!}}
{{Wiktionary|workers of the world, unite}}
- [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto Manifesto of the Communist Party] by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Translated by Samuel Moore in cooperation with Frederick Engels, 1888.
- [http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch04.htm Chapter 4] of The Communist Manifesto.
- [https://readbeach.com/quotes/by/Karl+Marx Collection of Quotes by Karl Marx] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629001344/https://readbeach.com/quotes/by/Karl+Marx |date=2022-06-29 }}
{{Socialism}}
{{Communism}}
Category:Political catchphrases
Category:Quotations from literature
Category:Philosophical phrases
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